By Amber Mohr on November 21, 2017 Posted in Fair Housing,Public Housing,RADOn Thursday, November 9, 2017 HUD hosted a live webinar to provide an overview and discussion of the recently developed Completion Certification and the RAD Minority Concentration Analysis Tool. A video of the webinar can be found here along with slides from the presentation. Construction Completion Certification. Once construction or rehabilitiation is complete, Section 1.13(B)(6) of… Continue Reading

By Amy M. Glassman on September 22, 2016 Posted in Enforcement,Fair Housing,PolicyLast week, HUD issued new guidance confirming that persons with limited English proficiency (LEP) are protected under the Fair Housing Act (FHA). LEP includes a limited ability to read, write, speak, or understand English. The guidance reasons that LEP persons are covered by the FHA because of their close nexus with the protected class of… Continue Reading

By Amy M. Glassman on September 18, 2016 Posted in Enforcement,Fair Housing,Government-Assisted Housing,PolicyThis week, HUD issued a final rule that creates liability under the Fair Housing Act (FHA) for housing providers for occurrences of “quid pro quo harassment” or “hostile environment harassment.” The new rule takes effect on October 14, 2016. The rule prohibits both quid pro quo and hostile environment harassment because of a resident’s protected class… Continue Reading

By Courtney E. Hunter on March 27, 2016 Posted in Fair Housing,UncategorizedOn March 23, 2016, HUD published a notice in the Federal Register to announce the issuance of an Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Assessment Tool for Public Housing Authorities (the “PHA Assessment Tool”). Under the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (“AFFH”) final rule published on July 16, 2015, program participants are required to conduct an Assessment of… Continue Reading

By Amy M. Glassman on March 11, 2016 Posted in Fair Housing,Government-Assisted Housing,PolicyThis morning, HUD is scheduled to publish its proposed tool for affirmatively furthering fair housing (AFFH) for use by states and insular areas as they implement the new AFFH rule. Public comment is solicited for 60 days. This tool is separate from the tool to be used by participating jurisdictions, about which Ballard Spahr previously… Continue Reading

By Shanellah Verna on January 21, 2016 Posted in Fair Housing,PolicyEarlier this month, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and Kent State University (KSU) settled claims of discrimination under the Fair Housing Act (FHA) related to the use of emotional support animals in university housing. KSU and its employees were charged with disability discrimination for failing to allow a student who suffered from a psychological… Continue Reading

By Courtney E. Hunter on October 5, 2015 Posted in Community Development,Fair Housing,Policy,UncategorizedThe Lincoln Institute of Land Policy recently released “Inclusionary Housing: Creating and Maintaining Equitable Communities,” a new report on the use of government policies that tie the creation of affordable housing to market-rate residential or commercial development. The use of inclusionary housing programs is relatively new (most were adopted in the last decade), but growing.… Continue Reading

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About the Housing Group

Ballard Spahr's housing practice
is nationally recognized for its innovative and practical approaches in the development and financing of housing and community development projects nationwide. Our experience includes the representation of more than 75 housing authorities, the closing of hundreds of bond transactions as bond and underwriter's counsel, and involvement in thousands of tax-credit transactions. We routinely represent borrowers and more than a dozen lenders under all of the multifamily programs of Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, and HUD.